He shook his head, mumbling something under his breath. “I give you four weeks to prove me wrong, Hugo. After that, her parents will be back from their cruise and you will have to let her go if it’s what she wants.”
Four weeks, based on how we left things. It seemed impossible, but I had no choice. It was my only option; and as for letting her go? Time would tell if I was going to be selfless enough to do that.
Four weeks to turn the tide, four weeks to make her trust me and who knew—maybe I’d be blessed enough to make her love me.
Chapter 23
Ava
IhadbeeninHugo’s estate for ten days now and I still couldn’t believe Ethan had managed to convince me to go through with this insane idea.
Ethan’s arguments had made so much sense that I had no choice but to agree. This place was huge and magnificent. If I were Hugo, I would have made this my home.
The room he gave me was gigantic and had all the medical equipment I could ever need, including an ultrasound machine! I had a live-in nurse, there was a housekeeper… I had everything I could possibly need, sometimes even before I asked for it.
Ethan and Hugo had been right. I could never have had this type of care anywhere else. Ethan has also argued that if Hugo wanted to be a father, it would not be right for me to stop him. I had a great relationship with my father and I also saw how not having one had affected Ethan.
If Hugo truly wanted to be a father, I owed it to my child to at least give him a fair shot.
At 5:30 pm, as with every night for the past week, I heard a soft knock on my door.
"Come in," I answered, knowing it was Hugo with dinner.
He still kept doing this despite being told he didn’t have to. To be honest, I'd rather he didn’t. It made the process of trying to let him go and heal from him a lot more difficult. It also made me wary as to whatever demon had taken hold of him.
"Good evening, Ava dear. You look well today." He placed my food on the hospital tray, rolling it to my bed.
"Thank you." I watched as he set his own tray of food down on the small table by the bed.
He was still dressed in his work attire, even if he had discarded the jacket and tie. I hadn't expected him to last a whole week. He was usually a work addict and he had never left the office early before. Now to be here for dinner, with a forty-minute drive to the estate, he needed to leave at around 4 pm.
“So, how was your day?" he asked politely.
"It was good. Ethan came and spent the afternoon." I suspected he already knew about his brother’s visit. I didn’t miss the shadow that passed over Hugo’s face when I mentioned Ethan, but I decided not to ask. Their relationship was not for me to touch or mend. I was starting to realize that some breaches couldn’t be fixed, no matter how much we wanted to.
"That's good, then."
I nodded, playing with my food. I didn’t have much appetite when he was around. My stomach became unsettled when he rested his eyes on me.
"Have you heard about your parents? They are in St. Thomas today, right?" he asked before taking a bite of his steak.
I looked up, surprised. I didn’t think he would remember my parents’ itinerary and I knew he couldn’t care less about trivial things like what my family was doing.
"Hugo, we both know you don't care about these things, so just stop." I paused, trying to find my next words without sounding ungrateful for his assistance. "What happened to me was not your fault and you have no obligation to help in any way."
"I'm not doing this out of guilt," he said, turning on his chair to look at me, his food forgotten on the small table. He was not eating much during his meals with me, either.
"Maybe pity then. But I don't need your pity or whatever is making you act so out of character. The doctor said my results were good. Dr. Klessner reviewed the weekly report and he expects me to fully recover sooner than he originally thought. I'll be able to go home soon."
He cocked his head to the side, pondering my words.
"Do you really believe I pity you?"
I shrugged. "It can only be guilt or pity, but whatever it is, it's not necessary."
“So you think I can’t be a decent human being who genuinely cares for you without an ulterior motive?”
I shook my head, looking down at my barely eaten filet steak and peas. “Don’t make me say it, Hugo. I’m too tired to fight.”